It’s In Their Blood

Rock Band Altamadum Experiments with a New Groove

Since their beginnings at Westgate high school over 15 years ago, the rock band Altamadum has carved out a niche locally and beyond thanks to their consistency. With five fulllength albums already to their name, the band is continuing to experiment with new sounds for their forthcoming release, In My Blood.

“Essentially what we’re trying to do is fuse late-90s techno with spiderwebby guitar harmonies, heavy drums, and poppy vocals that are super catchy,” says lead guitarist Cam Thomas, who plays lead guitar.

The local band is made up of Thomas, Sam Mucha on vocals and keys, James Cole on bass, and Brendan Byers on drums. Thomas says the band’s steady release schedule has allowed them to maintain a “prolific” presence locally and abroad where they have earned some dedicated listeners.

The pandemic did not interrupt their flow. Working at the local Thunder Sound Studios, the band is now on their second release since it began. “I definitely credit the other musicians in the band, and also the fact we have our own producer, our own studio, and we’re signed to From The Depths Entertainment, [based] in America. They help us get heard all over the world.”

The band’s output has allowed them to grow artistically, and

Thomas says this new sound is the result of a successful experiment from their last album. “There were two songs from our last album that had electronic elements. They were standout tracks because they were so different from anything we’ve ever done,” Thomas says. “Every album we want to switch it up and try something different without losing that signature sound.”

Thomas says the album’s subject matter will center around toxic relationships, but the goal of the album is to make the music sound as catchy and melodic as possible. Their first single from the album, “Run From You,” is a preview of what’s to come. “That song kind of sets the tone for the whole album… it’s talking about relationships, how although they can be really great, they can also be taxing and toxic,” he says. “I don’t know if that was something we really discussed; we went to work on the music and that’s just the state of mind we were in.”

In My Blood has no confirmed release date, but Thomas says the expectation is for the album to be completed by the end of the year. “Run From You,” and the album’s title track is available now on streaming platforms.

For more info, follow @altamadum on Instagram.

“Essentially what we’re trying to do is fuse late-90s techno with spiderwebby guitar harmonies, heavy drums, and poppy vocals that are super catchy.”